The treasury of a good heart

The treasury of a good heart

Sep 25, 2015|

Matthew 12:35

“A good person produces good things from the treasury of a good heart, and an evil person produces evil things from the treasury of an evil heart.” NIV

Whether we know it or not, the heart is a treasury, a depository of what we put into it, what we allow to be deposited there. And this treasury of the heart influences who we are, what we do, what we say, what we become.

“It is your heart, not the dictionary, that gives meaning to your words” (Matthew 12:34, The Message).

In other words, out of the overflow of what is in a person’s heart the mouth speaks, attitudes are formed, decisions are made, actions are taken.

To begin with, we have to know that the human heart is deceitful above all things (Jeremiah 17:9). It is a repository of selfishness and greed, lust and covetousness. It seeks its own pleasures and does not recognize any other authority. It simply cannot judge itself. All its ways seem right to itself (Proverbs 21:2).

It is only when the Lord searches our hearts, examines and weights it that we can see it for what it is and acknowledge that we are sinners, that there is unrighteousness residing deep within us, even in the best of us.

The Word of God is the only thing in the world that exposes what’s in a person’s heart. Hebrews 4:12 says that the “word of God is living and active, sharper than any double-edged sword, it penetrates even to dividing soul and spirit, joints and marrow; it judges the thoughts and attitudes of the heart.” The Living Word penetrates, examines, exposes, uncovers, convicts. It drives some to repentance; it drives others away because they refuse to accept the truth about themselves and yield to the word of God.

A heart yielded to God, and obedient to His Word, becomes a treasury of goodness, a repository of the love of God, a thing of great spiritual beauty. Holy Spirit deposits in the yielded heart wisdom, knowledge and discernment and it sets a new course for a person’s life. There is a new alignment with the wisdom of God, the purposes of God, the plan of God. It does not happen overnight; it is a process as God works in us and through us to make us perfect.

In this process, corruption sometimes creeps back into out hearts if we are not careful to guard our hearts. “Above all else, guard your heart” (Proverbs 4:23) is great advice from God. And you can count on God to search your heart, test your heart. That Word that is sharper than a two-edged sword is not a one-time operation; it is always at work. Thank God! That is God’s way of helping us to ensure that our hearts remain a treasury of all that is good and righteous before God.

“Search me, O God, and know my heart; test me and know my anxious thoughts. See if there is any offensive way in me, and lead me in the way everlasting” (Psalm 139:23-24).